Zacchaeus

“When Jesus came by, He looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name, ‘Zacchaeus!’  He said, ‘Quick, come down for I must be a guest in your home today.” Lu.19:6 [emphasis added]

Many times, the person we see in the mirror is not the person that we want to be. In other words, the things that are proceeding out of our lives are not congruent with the things that we desire of our lives. And sometimes we get confused and we say, how can my life possibly change? Today, God will give you the keys to life change. And many times we have experienced life change and we are concerned about the sustainability. Is this sustainable, how am I sure I will not backslide tomorrow? I know because that is how I used to be when I got saved. God had delivered me from so much and I was excited about the place I was in but I was confused and consumed with the thought of the possibility of going back.

Those thoughts would overwhelm me and I ask myself is this sustainable? Yes, you have done it for three weeks; but is it sustainable? How do I keep growing and firing and not relapse? And by the grace of God it is twenty-one years this year that I have been firing and there has been no relapse. It is possible and I am going to give you the keys. I am telling you, to the glory of God, that in twenty-one years I did not backslide for one day. If God can help me and He still is helping me, God can help you. Without God’s help there is nothing anybody can do. For the next few days, we are going to be looking at a man that Jesus helped and his name is Zacchaeus. Please spend time over the next few days studying Luke 19:1-10.

Just before His encounter with Zacchaeus, Jesus had said, “It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Lu.18:25. And here was Jesus facing another rich man; I can imagine the silence in the crowd.  Jesus knew that inside every human being is the tendency of adoring or worshiping or desiring money to the detriment of their souls. So money has been a major part of Jesus’ encounter with people. A young man in his attempt to woo a lady kept talking about how his cousin owned an industry, a car, a house, an aircraft and the girl said, can you introduce me to your cousin? There is a tendency in everyone to gravitate towards money.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for the keys to life change and I receive and activate them over my life, my children and the nation Nigeria, in Jesus Name.